Dear IE6, IE7: We Want a Divorce
Just like Microsoft's recent attempt to steer the world-at-large away from IE6, web developers everywhere are calling for a quick, painless death to IE7. The team at YouJoomla couldn't be happier. Well, we'd probably be happier if everyone in the universe decided to use Chrome for all of their web browsing needs, but that's probably not gonna happen.
Suffice it to say that this is a step in the right direction: the direction of standards compliance.
We wanted to let you know that, going forward, we will no longer be officially supporting or creating new workarounds for these outdated browsers. As always, our existing templates still include ifie options and ifie CSS files for both IE6 and IE7, and we'll continue to include an upgrade notice to help your visitors out, but we're going to be devoting most of our energy to more modern, compliant browsers.
After all, we're talking about a miniscule segment of the market. IE7 usage is somewhere around 4% worldwide, while IE6 is holding steady at around 6%. The vast majority of these outdated installs are located in China.
In this age of ubiquitous broadband, most consumers have no trouble keeping up with the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Opera or Safari. Why should IE be any different? That's Microsoft's attitude, anyway.
Go ahead and check out this officially sanctioned website: IE6 Countdown
While not an official Microsoft initiative, the folks behind IE7 Countdown are even more succinct about the development community's feelings about IE:
"If you use Internet Explorer and you don't absolutely have to (e.g. because you have pre- installed software on your company computer and you are not allowed to install any new software), please install a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Opera. If you do have to use Internet Explorer, try at least installing Chrome Frame, which turns IE into a usable browser. And tell your friends to do the same. You will help yourself to better websites and help developers deliver them to you."
We love our customers, and we want to make each and every one of you happy. If you happen to be getting a significant percentage of your traffic from mainland China (or Singapore), by all means pay a visit to our forums. Our members will surely be able to point you in the right direction. Otherwise, it's time to move on.
Suffice it to say that this is a step in the right direction: the direction of standards compliance.
We wanted to let you know that, going forward, we will no longer be officially supporting or creating new workarounds for these outdated browsers. As always, our existing templates still include ifie options and ifie CSS files for both IE6 and IE7, and we'll continue to include an upgrade notice to help your visitors out, but we're going to be devoting most of our energy to more modern, compliant browsers.
After all, we're talking about a miniscule segment of the market. IE7 usage is somewhere around 4% worldwide, while IE6 is holding steady at around 6%. The vast majority of these outdated installs are located in China.
In this age of ubiquitous broadband, most consumers have no trouble keeping up with the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Opera or Safari. Why should IE be any different? That's Microsoft's attitude, anyway.
Go ahead and check out this officially sanctioned website: IE6 Countdown
While not an official Microsoft initiative, the folks behind IE7 Countdown are even more succinct about the development community's feelings about IE:
"If you use Internet Explorer and you don't absolutely have to (e.g. because you have pre- installed software on your company computer and you are not allowed to install any new software), please install a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Opera. If you do have to use Internet Explorer, try at least installing Chrome Frame, which turns IE into a usable browser. And tell your friends to do the same. You will help yourself to better websites and help developers deliver them to you."
We love our customers, and we want to make each and every one of you happy. If you happen to be getting a significant percentage of your traffic from mainland China (or Singapore), by all means pay a visit to our forums. Our members will surely be able to point you in the right direction. Otherwise, it's time to move on.
